A Mother’s Apron String by Rev. Mark H. Creech

Pastor and radio Bible teacher, Chuck Swindoll, once shared a story about a good friend who was raised by a godly pastor’s wife. The friend said his mother used to rock him to sleep, not by singing little ditties and lullabies, but by singing to him the great hymns of the faith.

He said he could remember quite well his mother leaning over the crib and singing, “A Mighty Fortress is our God”; “And Can it Be?”; “More Love to Thee, O Christ”; “My Jesus I Love thee”; “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing.” She sang the deep songs. And he said, “I remember. I remember those hymns. In fact,” he said, “when I got into church, I had heard and learned most of the hymns.” Swindoll added that this young man’s mother had made an investment in his life that would always be with him.

A cartoon, from several years ago, shows a baby kangaroo peeping out of its pouch. The caption underneath read, “His mother determines his point of view.”

The virtuous things we learn at home are bonds that stay with us throughout life.

Laura E. Richards beautifully makes this point in The Apron String, where she writes:

“Once upon a time a boy played about the house, running by his mother’s side; and as he was very little, his mother tied him to the string of her apron.

“‘Now,’ she said, ‘when you stumble, you can pull yourself up by the apron-string, and so you will not fall.’

“The boy did that, and all went well, and the mother sang at her work.

“By and by the boy grew so tall that his head came above the window-sill, and looking through the window, he saw far away green trees waving, and a flowing river that flashed in the sun, and rising above all, blue peaks of mountains.

“‘Oh Mother,’ he said, ‘untie the apron string and let me go!’

But the mother said, ‘Not yet, my child! Only yesterday you stumbled and would have fallen but for the apron-string. Wait yet a little, till you are stronger.’

So the boy waited and all went as before, and the mother sang at her work.